District 1 Representative Eric Copeland is Deputy Chief and second in command of the Garner Police Department, and he oversees the day-to-day operations of the department. Deputy Chief Copeland received his BA in Political Science from NC State University, his Masters of Business Administration from Pfeiffer University, and he attended the 212th Session of the FBI National Academy.

Deputy Chief Copeland is a Paul Harris Fellow and a member of the Garner Mid-Day Rotary Club. He also volunteers with the organization SCORE (School and Community Organizied to Read) where he reads with 2nd grade students.